A plumber whose arm was left twisted grotesquely out of shape in an accident ten months ago has had an operation to correct it ‘cancelled four times’.

Torron Eeles, 50, has been left unable to work since falling down the stairs and now fears he may lose his home after being denied incapacity benefit.

The father-of-three today hit out at the NHS for the ‘unacceptable delays’, but East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust said Mr Eeles had his operation cancelled on ‘only’ two occasions on clinical safety grounds.

His left arm has hung limply by his side since he fractured the humerus bone in December 2008.

Mr Eeles, from Welham Green, Hertfordshire, applied for employment and support allowance but a doctor ruled he is ineligible for both because he can turn on a tap.

He said: ‘My arm just flops about but the sling wasn’t doing anything. The plaster didn’t make a blind bit of difference after a couple of weeks either.

‘How the Jobcentre can say I’m fit I don’t know. I was on incapacity benefit until a few weeks ago when I went to be assessed by a doctor in Luton.

‘He said because I can turn on a tap and I can lift my arm I don’t qualify for help.

‘Now I’m worried about losing my house. I’ve got a mortgage on it and there are credit cards debts I’m struggling to pay because I can’t work.’

Nick Carver, the chief executive of the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, insisted computer records showed the trust had only cancelled two operations and that proceeding with the operations could have put Mr Eeles’s life at risk.

Mr Carver said: ‘Mr Eeles’ operation was cancelled only twice – and then both on clinical safety grounds.

‘The first time was back in February when his blood pressure was found to be high.

‘As his surgery was not an emergency, our surgeons took the right action in referring Mr Eeles to his GP so his blood pressure could be brought under control.

‘His second operation in May 2009 was also cancelled, this time because he had failed to act on our surgeon’s advice that Mr Eeles that he should give up smoking.